Beauty Without Poison: Ban All Lead from Cosmetics

In a recent study of 22 popular lipsticks, the FDA found lead in every single one.

The FDA doesn't regularly test for lead in finished cosmetics, only in the colors added to them. And even though they assert the amount of lead found was "small," many health experts say there is no safe level of lead, which builds up in the body over time.

The average woman inadvertently consumes about four pounds of lipstick in a lifetime. Lipstick, a product applied directly to the mouth, should be free of toxins.

Tell FDA commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg that the FDA needs to test for lead in finished cosmetics as well as their additives, and that all lead should be banned from cosmetics.

In a recent study of 22 popular lipsticks, the FDA found lead in every single one.

The FDA doesn't regularly test for lead in finished cosmetics, only in the colors added to them. And even though they assert the amount of lead found was "small," many health experts say there is no safe level of lead, which builds up in the body over time. The lead collects in bones, and is released at three key times in a woman's life -- during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and after menopause.

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This product is applied directly to the mouth, and studies show the average woman inadvertently consumes about four pounds of lipstick in a lifetime. No lead should be in a product we consume.

Test for lead in finished cosmetics as well as their additives, and ban all lead from cosmetics.